82R16827 JBA-D
By: Gallego H.R. No. 1008
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the golf team of San Felipe High School
in Del Rio battled adversity and defied expectations to become the
best in Texas, and their story is told in the new book Mustang
Miracle, by Humberto Garcia; and
WHEREAS, The team got its start after J. B. Pena became
superintendent of the San Felipe Independent School District in the
mid-1950s and, together with a friend, introduced golf as a school
sport at San Felipe High; the two men were surprised and pleased to
discover that there were some very talented golfers among the
students in the then-segregated school; and
WHEREAS, These students had learned much about the game while
working as caddies at the exclusive San Felipe Country Club, whose
course they were initially prohibited from playing; determined to
take part in the sport, several of these aspiring athletes decided
in 1954 to build their own course, which they dubbed the El Llanito
Country Club; it was, by necessity, a rather crude design: one hole
surrounded by multiple tees, with a "green" that was actually made
of caliche instead of grass; nonetheless, the boys used the
hardscrabble course to hone their skills through long hours of
practice, often playing until after dark; and
WHEREAS, After the harsh conditions of El Llanito, the team
members found that competing on regulation courses as part of
school matches was relatively easy, and they quickly established
themselves as winners, even as they had to ignore verbal abuse and
other forms of discrimination; the San Felipe Mustangs became
regional champs in 1956 and finished second to Ranger High in the
state championships; in 1957, the team qualified once more for the
finals and traveled to Austin for the tournament, where they were
the only minority players to compete; the Mustangs turned in an
outstanding performance, shooting a combined 643; this bested
runner-up Shamrock High by 35 strokes and earned San Felipe the
state title; and
WHEREAS, In Mustang Miracle, Mr. Garcia, a San Felipe High
School alumnus, attorney, and avid golfer, tells the tale of Felipe
Romero, Higinio "Gene" Vasquez, Joe Trevino, Lupe Felan, and Mario
Reyes Lomas, and the resulting saga of perseverance in the face of
adversity is one that is sure to resonate beyond Del Rio and the
Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor the members of the San Felipe High School
golf team of 1957 along with their biographer, Humberto Garcia, and
extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of the team and Mr. Garcia as an expression
of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.